From victim of TV sting to Olympic medallist: Lalit's journey to stardom

>From being a hapless victim of a sting operation at the start of his career to becoming an Olympic medallist, India men's hockey team striker Lalit Upadhyay has worked hard to rebuild his career and considers all the setbacks as blessings in disguise.

At the the age of 17 in 2008, Lalit's fledging career came to a sudden halt when he was embroiled in an unnecessary scandal for no fault of his.

Posing as an agent, a reporter from a TV channel offered then Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) secretary K Jothikumaran a sponsorship deal only if a player of their choice was taken into the Indian team, and Lalit's name was taken as a bait.

Lalit was unaware of such a 'deal' and shaken by the incident, he almost quit hockey.

"If this happens to any boy who is immature and has come into the team with big dreams, he would be shattered. We had only heard about India winning eight Olympic medals but had not seen it happen in front of us. It was a dream to play in the Olympics and win a medal," Lalit told PTI.

"But in a way it was a blessing in disguise for me. When I faced all this in the beginning, I became mentally stronger. Although I have forgotten that incident, whenever I remember it, I feel stronger.

"Now the circumstances have changed a lot, social media has also come, so it will not happen with anyone. I consider myself lucky that I have left that behind and now going to play in the Olympics for the second time. Whenever I wear this jersey, I get inspired to do something special," said the 30-year-old forward, who was a vital member of India's bronze medal-winning side in Tokyo.

An Olympic bronze and Asian Games gold already in his kitty, Lalit is now focussed on changing the colour of the medal in Paris Games, starting July 26.

"We know that expectations are high because we won an Olympic medal after a long time in Tokyo. We are confident that the colour of the medal will be changed," said Lalit, who has scored 45 goals in 168 international appearances.

"We have worked hard on fitness in the last four years, which is visible on the field. In fitness, we are at par with the top teams in the world. The fitness level of seniors along with young players have improved tremendously."

But it won't be easy in Paris as India are placed in a tough Pool B along side New Zealand, reigning champions Belgium, mighty Australia, Argentina and Ireland.

India will open their campaign against New Zealand on July 27.

"It's irrelevant to focus on the pool because all teams come with full preparation to give their best. We will focus on one match at a time and try to give our best in every match," said Lalit.

Lalit is optimistic about India's chances, saying in modern day hockey the gap is very narrow between top teams of the world.

"Hockey is always changing and all the teams keep updating themselves. Our training program is also prepared keeping this in mind. We recently played the FIH Pro League and we practice keeping in mind top teams like Australia, Germany and Belgium," he said.

"This time there have been a lot of field goals in the Pro League and the focus is on creating opportunities inside the D. As forwards, we try to score field goals or produce penalty corners which is very important in modern hockey," added Lalit.

India have retained 11 players from Tokyo, while five will make their Olympic debut in Paris.     

"These boys (young players) have won gold medal in the Asian Games and overcame the pressure to qualify for the Olympics, so they are capable of handling pressure. We have been playing with them for a long time and the coordination is good. We keep talking to each other and share our experiences," said Lalit, who hails from Varanasi.

Lalit described mutual respect, bonding and unity as major strengths of the current team.

"During COVID we all stayed together for a long time at the SAI centre in Bengaluru, which gave us more opportunities to get to know each other. This strengthened the team bonding and helped us immensely to give Indian hockey a new lease of life by breaking the jinx in Tokyo."

The ancient city of Varanasi has given Indian hockey legends like late Mohammed Shahid, who has an indelible impact on Lalit's life and career.

"There is a saying in our Banaras (Varanasi) that everything starts from here and ends here. When we also sit on the banks of Ganga, at one side there is Dashashwamedh Ghat (Ganga aarti ghat) and on the other side there is Manikarnika Ghat (cremation ghat). We pray at one ghat and on the other one we pray for peace of departing souls," he said.

"That's why I am satisfied with whatever God has given me. I just hope this legacy of hockey remains intact and the flag of Indian hockey keeps flying high."